With Christmas less than 10 weeks away now, the Orbost Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for a Christmas like no other.
While many things have been scrapped this year, Christmas has not been.
Following on from the passing of much-loved local identity, Tracey Barnett, who reinstated the Nicholson Street decorations with her solid group of loyal volunteers, Sammi Reynolds has volunteered her time to coordinate the decorations this year with the aim for them to be up by the last weekend of November.
“It would be a shame to see all of Tracey’s hard work go to waste and I would love to grow and expand on what she has already made the street become,” Sammi said.
“I am putting a call out to any members of the community who have any ideas of how we can improve the decorations and also ways in which local schools, community groups or individuals could become involved. Whether it be creating items to place in garden beds, shop front windows or simply to volunteer an hour or two on the weekend to get the street looking spectacular. “2020 has been an awful year for the community and I want to end it with something that makes us smile (hopefully not under our masks) as we wander the street.”
The organising committee is proceeding with arrangements for the 2020 festival followed by the fireworks display in Forest Park amid COVID-19 restrictions.
The committee has applied for an East Gippsland Shire events permit to hold the event in a similar format to last year.
“We are planning on the basis of
COVID restrictions easing and allowing for outside gatherings by Christmas Eve,” committee member, Garry Squires, said.
“Assuming that happens, it will be a great opportunity for the community to get together again. However if there are still restrictions in place we will modify the event format.
“Worse case scenario will be if there are still severe COVID restrictions in place in which case it will be necessary to cancel the event. We should have a good idea by late November.”
Competitions that are all part of any “normal” Orbost Christmas including the ‘Best Decorated Shop Window’ and ‘House Christmas Lights’ will all be going ahead as usual as well as the ‘Lucky Shopper’, which will start on Tuesday, December 1, and will include the weekly draws and also the main draw on Christmas Eve.
Additional lights have been ordered for the main Christmas tree with the anticipation that it will be decorated in early December.
The committee anticipates a clearer picture by late November, in which case exact details regarding the event would be publicised.
